Heather Gudenkauf - Before She Was Found

A gripping thriller about three young girlfriends, a dark obsession and a chilling crime that shakes up a quiet Iowa town, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Weight of Silence.

For twelve-year-old Cora Landry and her friends Violet and Jordyn, it was supposed to be an ordinary sleepover—movies and Ouija and talking about boys. But when they decide to sneak out to go to the abandoned rail yard on the outskirts of town, little do they know that their innocent games will have dangerous consequences.

Later that night, Cora Landry is discovered on the tracks, bloody and clinging to life, her friends nowhere to be found. Soon their small rural town is thrust into a maelstrom. Who would want to hurt a young girl like Cora—and why? In an investigation that leaves no stone unturned, everyone is a suspect and no one can be trusted—not even those closest to Cora.

Before She Was Found is a timely and gripping thriller about friendship and betrayal, about the power of social pressure and the price of needing to fit in. It is about the great lengths a parent will go to protect their child and keep them safe—even if that means burying the truth, no matter the cost.

HEATHER GUDENKAUFis the critically acclaimed and New York Times bestselling author of The Weight of Silence, These Things Hidden, One Breath Away, Little Mercies and Not a Sound . Her debut novel, The Weight of Silence was picked for The TV Bookclub. She lives in Iowa with her family.

Read more about Heather and her novels at www.HeatherGudenkauf.com

Before She Was Found

Heather Gudenkauf

Copyright

An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2019

Copyright © Heather Gudenkauf 2019

Heather Gudenkauf asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Ebook Edition © April 2019 ISBN: 9781474083133

Praise for Heather Gudenkauf

‘This gripping tale will keep you up all night’

Heat

‘Fans of Jodi Picoult will devour this great thriller’

Red

‘Tension builds as family secrets tumble from the closet’

Woman & Home

‘Totally gripping’

Marie Claire

‘An action-packed thriller’

Mary Kubica

‘Keeps you hooked right up to the last page’

My Weekly

‘A great thriller’

Radio Times

‘A real page-turner’

Woman’s Own

‘A gripping thriller’

Inside Soap

‘Deeply moving and lyrical’

Company

‘A powerhouse of a debut novel’

Tess Gerritsen

‘Heart-pounding and compelling’

Diane Chamberlain

‘If you haven’t read Heather Gudenkauf yet, now’s the time.’

Lisa Unger

For my parents, Milton and Patricia Schmida –

thank you for teaching me the meaning of home.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Title Page

Copyright

Praise

Dedication

Text Message Exchange Between Jordyn Petit and Violet Crow

Monday, April 16, 2018

Case #92-10945

Beth Crow Monday, April 16, 2018

Dr. Madeline Gideon September 14, 2018

Case #92-10945

Beth Crow Monday, April 16, 2018

Thomas Petit Monday, April 16, 2018

Dr. Madeline Gideon September 14, 2018

Case #92-10945

Dr. Madeline Gideon September 14, 2018

Case #92-10945

Thomas Petit Monday, April 16, 2018

Case #92-10945

Dr. Madeline Gideon September 14, 2018

Case #92-10945

Interview of Jordyn Petit, Pitch Police Department Officer Bree Wilson, Thomas Petit—Grandfather of Jordyn Petit

Case #92-10945

Beth Crow Monday, April 16, 2018

Case #92-10945

Beth Crow Monday, April 16, 2018

Case #92-10945

Text Message Exchange Between Clint Phelps, Abby Ridgewood and Ryan Maren

Dr. Madeline Gideon September 14, 2018

Case #92-10945

Thomas Petit Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Case #92-10945

Beth Crow Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Case #92-10945

Case #92-10945

Dr. Madeline Gideon September 14, 2018

Text Message Exchange Between Jordyn Petit and Violet Crow

Case #92-10945

Beth Crow Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Dr. Madeline Gideon September 14, 2018

Case #92-10945

Interview of John Dover, Pitch Police Department Officer Bree Wilson

Case #92-10945

Case #92-10945

Case #92-10945

Thomas Petit Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Beth Crow Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Case #92-10945

Text Message Exchange Between Jordyn Petit and Violet Crow

Text Message Exchange Between Jordyn Petit and Violet Crow

Thomas Petit Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Dr. Madeline Gideon September 14, 2018

Case #92-10945

Beth Crow Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Case #92-10945

Case #92-10945

Thomas Petit Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Case #92-10945

Dr. Madeline Gideon September 14, 2018

Case #92-10945

Case #92-10945

Case #92-10945

Case #92-10945

Case #92-10945

Beth Crow Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Case #92-10945

Case #92-10945

Thomas Petit Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Case #92-10945

Beth Crow Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Text Message Exchange Between Jordyn Petit and Gabe Shannon

Case #92-10945

Dr. Madeline Gideon September 14, 2018

Case #92-10945

Case #92-10945

Case #92-10945

Text Message Exchange Between Jordyn Petit and Violet Crow

Interview of Jordyn Petit, Pitch Police Department Officer Bree Wilson, Robert Peale—Attorney for Jordyn Petit

Beth Crow Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Case #92-10945

Interview of John Dover, Pitch Police Department Officer Keith Grady

Dr. Madeline Gideon September 14, 2018

Thomas Petit Thursday, April 19, 2018

Case #92-10945

Beth Crow Thursday, April 19, 2018

Text Message Exchange Between Nikki Dobric, Max Crow, Clint Phelps and Ryan Moren

Case #92-10945

Dr. Madeline Gideon September 14, 2018

Five months later

Thomas Petit September 14, 2018

Beth Crow September 14, 2018

Dr. Madeline Gideon September 14, 2018

Sept 14, 2018

Acknowledgments

Before She Was Found Reader’s Guide

Questions for Discussion

A Conversation with the Author

Extract

About the Publisher

Text Message Exchange Between Jordyn Petit and Violet Crow

Sunday, April 15, 2018